Eyes to the Star
by PeaceLoveandPoetry
Summary: My first POTC fanfic, it is the story of Stella, the fiance of Norrington, after her ship, unbeknownst to her, on a secret mission, is captured. JackOC (Don't worry people who don't like Norrington, he's not in here much!)
1. Intro and Jack's First Appearance::yay::

**Disclaimer: **I am in no way administratively involved with POTC the movie, any company promoting piratey merchandise (though I do _buy_ piratey merchandise), nor am I involved with any of the characters. At least not in reality. ::sniffle::_**Jack**_::sniffle:: Basically, it is not my place to be manipulating these characters and settings at my will, but I've never been one to be bound by my place in society. Therefore, I have created a story! (Wheee non-conformism!)

* * *

I hope you enjoy this story; new chapters have been written but are yet to be posted--they are (in my opinion) better than the first, but I guess you'll just have to check back later and judge for yourself, eh? (I began writing from Ch. 2, then went on almost to the end, then came back to the beginning.)

* * *

It had been two days, Stella counted, that she had lain in this dreadful cell. It had been just a week into their voyage when the pirates had attacked her fiancé, Norrington's ship, with her and several crew members aboard. It was a voyage planned weeks before their engagement, some government business or whatever, she didn't know. Norrington had begged her not to come, but eventually relented. "Stella," he had said, "there are certain dangers on the seas, especially with this voyage, I cannot in good conscience allow you to come aboard!" Well, he was right, Stella thought ruefully. Her fiancé had been locked in another cell on this lower deck, but it was so pitch dark that she couldn't see where he might be. She had called out for him, but had received no reply. She was very worried that first night, unable to think about anything but whether or not he was alright. By the second night, however, her tired mind had wandered to other issues, such as what might become of her. She had begun to question the decisions she had made in her life, as many people who feel that death is eminent tend to, but the thought crossed her mind, "The decisions of my life, did I even make them?" A product of high society, she had never been bothered with decisions and such, she was simply told what she was and was not to do. She felt that she did love Norrington, but remembered that it was her father's idea, not hers, to marry him in the first place. "Shameful, shameful," she muttered out loud into the dark, appalled that she should doubt her parents wishes so.

"And what would it be that you're so ashamed of?" came a voice from the darkness. She gasped in surprise, then backed slowly towards the wall behind her as she heard the rough sound of a match being struck. A flame emerged from the blackness of the room, and light trickled onto her face. In the faint orange light, she could make out a dark shadowy figure. His face, thin but pleasant, greeted her with a smile, glinting with...gold? Perhaps it was just the light. Stella was torn between relief and terror, as she had craved someone to talk to, but was not sure if this was the company she wanted. After all, he could just as easily be her killer as her savior. She remained in the back of the cell, suspiciously eyeing the man as he stood at the bars. "I didn't know anyone was down here, love, perhaps they forgot about you?" the man said, laughingly, though it wasn't the cruel laughter like she had heard emanating from the upper decks the night before, obviously the result of quite too much rum.

"My...well, there was a man with me, is he also here?" Stella said, almost on impulse. It was her duty, she thought, to be concerned.

"Ah, let's take a look," the man said, craning his neck and holding the light far down the hall, "No, don't see anyone," he started to turn back towards her, then said, "Oh! You mean Norrington, oh..." his voice trailed off.

"And," Stella demanded, "Where is Commodore Norrington?"

"The Commodore is meeting with the captain at the moment I believe. Probably negotiating to get you two back to safety, away from the _scary pirates_!" the man laughed nervously, making ghostly sounds for effect. "So, what is your name, love?"

"Stella," she said quietly.

"I'm Jack," he said, "A pleasure to meet you." He held the lantern up close to the bars, and motioned for her to come closer. She hesitantly moved forward, after all, there were bars, it seemed a safe situation. He quietly lifted the lantern to her face, and a dazed look washed over him. "You are, you're beautiful, it's such a pity..." again his voice trailed off and he placed his hands on the iron bars. Stella jumped slightly as a deep bell tolled on the upper deck.

"What was that?" she asked, "What is the bell mean?

Jack bit his lip and rested the lantern on the bars. "The bell means," he hesitated, "the bell means there's to be an execution." He looked at Stella, his eyes yielding a better explanation of the situation than his words

"As in me? As in Norrington?" She stuttered, in shock.

"I assume so." again, his eyes conveyed the truth. He _knew_ it was them. Stella slid limp down the bars, gazing off to the dark recesses of her cell. Would this be the last landscape she would see? Jack sat on the rough wooden floor, level with Stella, and set the lantern on the floor. "I'm so sorry...it's not my doing, it's the captain...I promise if it were my choice you'd not be in this situation." his futile reassurance was nothing to her, as it couldn't change her reality and the eminence of death. She lay her head against the bars as tears fell off her cheeks onto the floor. With each tear he silently watched fall from the innocent girl's cheeks, Jack's anger grew within him. The captain, their supposed wise leader, was cruel and unjust. And Jack felt helpless. Not only could he not change what was to happen, he couldn't even comfort her enough to stop the tears. "Tell me about yourself." he quietly requested.

"What?" Stella confusedly asked. How was this the time?

"What is your story, how did you come to be here?" Jack explained, almost wishing he hadn't said anything. He just wanted to know the story behind the beauty, to get to know her before the unfortunate events that would come with the dawn. Also, perhaps talking would distract her from concentrating on the short future.

Stella shifted back against the sidewall, still leaning her head on the bars. She coughed, brushed the tears from her cheeks, and began. She told him all about her childhood, her favorite nurse who never left her side, her years in boarding school in England, and her engagement to Norrington. She paused, certain Jack would be bored by now, but he still remained mesmerized, gazing towards her in the lamplight. She continued, and found herself rambling on and on about the very things that she had been discussing within herself that day, questioning her relationship with Norrington, and her loyalty to her family. Jack seemed completely enrapt, nodding understandingly as she went. When she had said all that she could possibly find within herself, she said, "I suppose that's all. Not much of a life, true?"

Jack sighed and replied, "Quite a life. Quite a valuable and lovely life..." He smiled softly and glanced at the near dark lantern. "I suppose I must take my leave now," he sighed, pulling up on the bars. His hand lay on Stella's as he slipped away from her, becoming nothing but an orange glow in the dark.


	2. Norrington's Betrayal

This is actually where I started the story when I began writing, and I tried to make sure it was consistent with the beginning. Enjoy, and please review!

* * *

"I promise you, that if you let me live, I will show you the shortest route to the island. There you are free to pillage, plunder, whatever it is you wish to do. The best ship in the port will be yours." Norrington looked sternly across the rocking table into the eyes of Iago. "And the crew as well," he added, trying to make the deal as appetizing as possible. Norrington tried to appear as frightened and desperate as possible, although he knew full well that the minute they hit the port, the largest fleet of officers in the Caribbean would assault the ship, escorting every single pirate aboard straight to the gallows.

"Quite a tempting offer, Commodore. Quite tempting indeed. And the girl? What are we to do with her? You must know that the price of sparing two lives is much higher than that of sparing one." Iago grinned wickedly, exposing his few, dark teeth, sending a shudder through the vain Commodore.

He hated to have to see her die like that, but it was for a noble cause, after all. Over a dozen vicious pirates would be caught and hanged, and because of his sacrifice in the act, perhaps a promotion? "Well," he began slowly, "I suppose some sacrifices must be made."

Iago flashed his sly grin once more, then rose from the table. "Then I suppose it's settled then. You take us to the island, we don't kill you. Sounds plenty fair to me."

Norrington coughed nervously, then smiled. "I'm glad you agree. I suppose I will be seeing you in the morning then." He began to head towards the cabin door, pleased with his success. The plan had worked. The pirates had attacked them as planned, and would be led to their death at the port.

"Yes. Bright and early. Don't want to sleep through us throwing the little miss off the side of the ship, do you?" Iago laughed loudly, and Norrington half-heartedly chuckled along, afraid of messing up the deal he had so skillfully made.

"No, wouldn't want to miss that," he said, looking towards the floor. "Good night." The Commodore turned and exited the door, closing it quietly behind him. Once outside in the narrow hall, he walked up to the deck and turned his closed eyes towards the sky. He sighed deeply, and breathily said to himself, "It was the right thing to do. It was. She'll understand. It's for the best." He dropped his head, put his hands behind his back, turned on his heel, and headed back towards his empty cabin. "It was the right thing to do," he muttered to himself once more before opening the door. "The right thing to do."

The next morning, Stella began to see pinpoints of sunlight burn through the cracks in the wooden cabin walls. She had always loved the sunrise, but today it was a dreaded coming. She hadn't slept at all the night before, knowing that death would come with morning. A knock at the door startled her, and she jumped, falling onto the floor. "Rise 'n shine, Missy!" the man snarled, still knocking and laughing from behind the door. Stella rose, and slowly pulled on her dress from the corner. She silently took one long look around the cabin, then opened the door. A tall stout man stood menacingly at the door. He grabbed her by the arm, and pulled her up towards the deck.

When they reached the light, Iago called, "Wonderful! Glad to see you awake! You know we can't start without you!" He and several of the men laughed a bit, then turned their attention back to her. Norrington stood a few feet away, with a grim, somber expression on his face. She was escorted by the large man over towards him, and then left there to stand beside him. They were standing what she considered dangerously close to the edge of the ship; only a couple of feet from the long plank of wood off which they would fall to their deaths. Seeing the board, her eyes suddenly began to water, as if she had only just realized what was to happen.

"Ahem, well then, I suppose we can start now that we're all assembled!" Iago started. "Who would like to do the honors? "he inquired of the crew, holding out a length of rope to any volunteer. "Hmm...quite shocking. I suppose no one's in the mood for killing this morning. But that won't stop us, shall it? "He stepped over to where Stella and Norrington stood. He paced around, so that he was standing right over the Commodore's shoulder, and in a low, whispery voice said, "Perhaps the Commodore would like to assist, hmm?"

Norrington looked up at him pleadingly, then, stepping away from Stella, looked at her apologetically and whispered, "I'm very sorry. I hope you understand." Stella's eyes grew wide, and the tears that had been hiding within them fell onto her cheeks. She looked about, confused, then back at Norrington. "What?" she whispered, "What are you doing?"

"I'm sorry," he replied. "It's for the best. You will know that you died for the sake of the safety of your country."

Stella's eyes wandered to the crowd surrounding Iago. A man with long black hair, tied back behind his head was talking quietly with him. She thought it might be Jack, but wasn't sure, as the night before she had barely been able to see his face for the dark. She couldn't make out all of what they were saying, but from the man's motions and facial expression, she could tell he wasn't pleased with the proceedings. Iago seemed to scoff at him, and pushed him backwards onto the deck. "Could we hurry it up a bit?" he called to Norrington, "We haven't got all day!"

"Yes," Norrington murmured. He turned to face Stella, and un-wound the rope. "Um, could you please, um..." he nervously began. "Your hands, please."

Stella continued to stare at him, still in shock, as she turned, placing her hands behind her back. She felt the rope tighten around her wrists, and cut into her skin. She held back a tear as the final knot was tied, the rope so tight on her wrists she could feel the blood throbbing in her hands. Iago had swaggered over towards her, and spun her around to face the crowd. She could see the man who had been pushed down by Iago earlier, standing off to the side, looking somber and nervous, eyes darting, much in contrast to the wickedly smiling faces of the rest of the crew. "Commodore, thank you. I'll take it from here." Iago snarled. He grabbed her by the arm and began leading her towards the edge. Her heart beat insanely fast, as she took one last look back at Norrington and the smiling crew. "I'm not ready," she murmured as she was pulled to the end of the board.

"No one's ever ready," was the reply from the grinning Iago as he shoved her off the edge. She fell backwards, soaring towards the water.

Iago turned back to the crew and cackled loudly, leading the chorus of wicked laughs. He stopped abruptly and snarled, "Get back to your jobs, men! Commodore! Come to my cabin. I'll be needing those coordinates!"

Norrington took one last look out at the water, then began to walk towards the hall.


	3. A Noble Protest

**Before going on with the story, I must address my first reviewers! (I love you all!)**

**Sweetpeathe1st--**Mwahahahaha! Of course there's more, and you'll have to read on to find out if Jack saves her or not...I'm glad you like my style, and hope you continue reading. (By the way, I know you just _love_ my cliffhangers..I've actually written the whole thing but am saving chapters to keep you all in suspense!)

**Idril Falastari--**Yup, that Norrington needs help.

* * *

"This is insane!" yelled a voice from the deck. "She did NOTHING! And you just go and kill her? "Everyone turned their attention to man in the corner. He suddenly ran to the ropes on the side of the ship, and slid down to a small rowboat hanging off the side. He dropped himself down into the boat, and released the ropes, sending him straight into the water.

As the other crewmembers looked on with disdain, snickering with each other, he rowed quickly towards the back of the ship. He jumped out, and remained underneath the glittering shell of water for several minutes. He finally came back up, gasping for air, and pulled down by the weight of Stella's body. He dragged her through the water, and over to the boat. He lifted her up over the side, and lay her on the wooden floor. Carefully, he climbed in, trying not to step on her, and knelt beside her motionless body. "Stella," he murmured. "Stella, please..." He was barely able to form the words, as he was certain it was too late to save her. His hand shaking on her shoulder, he continued his attempts to beg her breathless form back to life. Suddenly, her head jerked up, her eyes opened, and with a series of sputtering coughs, she began to slowly breathe again. "Thank you, God..." he whispered. He helped her to sit up in the boat, leaning her up against the side. "Are you alright love?" he worriedly asked.

"Yes, I think so," she replied, her voice hushed and shaky.

"I'm so glad. I was so afraid that..." his voice trailed off, as if he had let his words get away with him, and he wished very much for a change of subject. "Well, if you're tired, you're welcome to take a nap. I think I know pretty much where we are—that is if the current hasn't taken us too far off the course the Pearl was on. If I'm right, we're quite near civilization, which is very good since we have no food on board this little toy boat of ours. "He managed to smile, but quickly turned to look out at the water.

"Yes, that is good news." she murmured. She sat like stone, her hands resting on either side of the boat as if she was trying to keep her balance. She gazed absent-mindedly over the water, still trying to absorb the morning's events. After a few silent minutes, she slouched on the side of the boat, tired, and soon fell asleep.

Jack turned to look at her, but then again ripped himself away to watch the dreary waves splash onto the sides of the boat. Satisfied that she was alright, he began to row slowly off into the waves. Once sure that she was asleep, he shifted around to face her. Taking off his coat, he placed it over her hunched shoulders. He then reseated himself on the opposite side of the boat, resumed rowing, hoping dearly that he was going in the right direction.

Stella awoke to the gentle splashing of the oars through the water and the quiet brush of the waves against the sides of the boat. Each wave echoes quietly through the ear that was pressed to the wood of the boat, and calmed her spirit. She stretched, finding herself warmly wrapped in Jack's coat. She smiled, realizing his obvious act of kindness.

"Good morning, love, have a good nap?" Jack asked, smiling.

"Yes, yes I did. And your coat—thank you." She carefully lifted the coat off her shoulders and handed it to him, slightly embarrassed at her lack of anything better to say. "Wait, morning? Did I really sleep that long?" She was shocked at the possibility.

"Yes, actually. You've missed most of our little trip. If you'll turn around a bit," he shifted to the left and pointed, "you'll be seeing exactly where we'll be landing. Isla Azul."

She turned, and was surprised to see a quite large, colorful mass of land coming up over the horizon. "Oh, I see. Quite beautiful from here."

"Ah. Yes. Quite beautiful from a distance, not so up close unfortunately. I hate to have to port here, but seeing as we're in a rowboat with no food, it'll have to do." Jack stared off at the growing island in the distance, and let the oars slide from his hands. He leaned back, and said, "Well, I suppose we might as well enjoy the view while it lasts. If you're not too hungry, you wouldn't mind if we took a bit of a break, would you?"

"Oh no, of course not. From what you say, I gather this isn't a place we really would want to rush into." She smiled sincerely. The thought of going onto the island scared her, although she knew it was necessary. "Well I suppose I won't get much of a view from over here," she laughed, "you mind if I sit over by you?"

"Oh, no, that's fine. I mean, you're welcome to," he scooted over to make room beside him. He began to take off his shoes.

"What are you doing?" Stella asked, slightly alarmed, as she climbed over towards him.

"Balancing the boat," he responded, matter-of-factly, tossing the boots to the other side, where Stella had been seated. "We've had quite enough near-drowning experiences to last us a while, don't you agree?"

"Yes, good idea." She sat down carefully, not positive if his shoes would be quite enough weight to keep her from falling in the water. Once seated comfortably, they both looked out at the island as the boat rocked and sloshed back and forth, carrying them slowly down the coast. Stella wanted to ask what had been plaguing her mind ever since she had seen Jack's face floating above her after she was pushed off the boat. She wanted to ask him why. Why, when even the man who claimed to love her with all his heart betrayed her, the man whom she had met but a day earlier had decided to save her life. She began to speak, but her fear drove the words back. She couldn't help but be terrified of driving Jack out of her life. One slip, she could offend him, embarrass him, and he'd be gone. He seemed like he was all she had. Norrington obviously had lied when he said he loved her in the first place, and her family would most definitely side with him on any subject; they kowtowed to his every whim! They would certainly scold her for not working harder to make him love her more or something of the sort. Jack was her unlikely lone supporter. If only he weren't so distant! How could someone so close by seem so far away? The silence between them had gone on for quite some length of time now, and she had to do something. She had kept on staring at the island, just to avoid that awkward quick eye contact that always resulted in more silence. "Why?" she managed to sputter out. "I mean, why did you do it? Save me?"

Jack looked her in the eyes. It was difficult. He was sure that if he kept the gaze too long, she would disappear, or his eyes would melt, or something crazy like that. He had to answer, the question was very direct. "I saved you because..." Why was this so hard? He knew why; couldn't he just say it? Why wasn't it that simple? "Because..." Stella looked on, regretting her question more and more with each second he stumbled for an answer. "Because I felt it was the right thing to do. They shouldn't have tried to hurt you." He couldn't believe he heard himself say that. "What a stupid answer," he thought, "I can't even tell her the truth. What kind of man am I if I can't tell her the bloody truth?"

"Oh," Stella said, looking out again at the sea. "That was very noble of you Jack. Thank you, again." Jack simply gazed at his feet, lamenting his answer, but glad it was over.


	4. Isla Azul

**Ah, my lovely reviewers. **My inbox overfloweth. (I yelled to my mom that my inbox was flooding and she freaked out since all she heard was "flooding"...I think she thought we would be floating away soon...Probably some of you are thinking I must be pretty weird to be excited over like 4 reviews, but my only other fic was posted in the Shakespeare section, and shall we say that not so many people frequent that section than this one. (POTC has a ton of really rabid fans...including me.) Anyway, on with my responses.

**Mr. Nozzers**--Thank you for pointing out the Norrington deal, yes, perhaps he does have an evil twin. I suppose I _was _a bit too harsh in making his character do such a dreadful thing, but it makes the story more interesting. Thanks for your constructive criticism, and I hope you can find some good gauze to stop the bleeding in your eyes. :)

**I will respond to reviews as I recieve them in future chapters. **

**Now on with the story....(by the way, please no one flame me for this chapter being Mary Sue-ish. I tried to avoid that, and I'm not sure whether or not I succeeded. Please do review and tell me whether or not you think it crossed over the Mary Sue line. :)

* * *

**

"I suppose we better start back on our course; we don't want to get too far off just drifting like this." he said awkwardly and quietly, as he climbed over carefully to retrieve his shoes. He moved over to the oars as Stella returned to her original seat. "Well that was bloody wonderful," he thought. "I was sitting right next to her, probably as close as I'll ever be to her, after that, and I couldn't even tell her why I saved her! How much more pathetic could I have been?"

While Jack bewailed his foolishness, Stella had her own inner battle to contend with. "Did he mean that?" she wondered, "he took long enough, one would think he'd have come up with a better lie than that if he was avoiding the truth." She looked over at him as they neared the island dock. "All answers come with time." Norrington's voice echoed in her mind. Of all the voices to hear, his!

Jack had been right. The island, so scenic from a distance, was a much different story up close. Dark, run-down buildings lined the dim, dingy brick streets. Stella walked slowly, scared to death of this sick place, and sticking close to Jack, who confidently made his way through the mess of people. He obviously was accustomed to such utter chaos. He brushed past several clusters of rather shady looking men and women, without a flinch. Suddenly, from one of the dimly-lit taverns on the street, several brawling men came crashing through a window. Stella gasped, and almost in reflex, she grabbed onto Jack's hand. His head quickly turned around, and their eyes locked. She wanted to let go, but instead she found herself tightening her grip on his hand. His dark face slowly relaxed and he smiled. He wrapped his fingers around hers, and then began to lead her around the brawl. It was Stella who finally broke the silence that had haunted the pair for hours. "Where exactly do we go from here?" They had shared a quiet meal in one of the less-scary taverns of the village as soon as they hit port, and now the sun was beginning to set over the ocean. "I know someone we can stay with for tonight. Tomorrow we can look for a way to get you back home to your family."

Just the thought of returning to her family, with the shame of her lost marriage made her feel twisted inside. "Uh, yes. That's great." Jack took a long look at her as they walked, sensing the lack of enthusiasm in her voice. They entered a large brick building, faintly lit with a tall candle in each window. They met a short, squat man just inside the door, who after marveling that the fact that Jack was still living, "I's so sure that you'd 'ave gotten yourself shot by now!" then escorted them to a room upstairs. "Hope this will do," the man said, "It's the best I've got right now."

"I'm sure it'll be just fine," Jack assured him politely. "Thank you."

The man left, leaving Jack and Stella rather awkwardly standing in the large room. It was completely empty, spare for a couple of straw mattresses on the floor. Stella strode over to one side of the room, and slid down the wall to sit slumped over on the floor. Jack walked over and sat beside her. Both were silent, leaning against the wooden wall.

Jack drew a deep breath, and began to speak, "Stella," he began as she turned her head towards him. "I didn't save you because of 'nobility' or 'righteousness' or whatever I said earlier. I just...just when I talked to you, I didn't want it to end, when I saw you I didn't want to look away, I couldn't lose you, I know I don't know you that well, but I didn't want to lose you, I just love you." he rambled quite a bit before getting to the point. Stella raised her hand, and he flinched, expecting quite a slap on the face for his confession. Instead, she put her hand gently to his face, turning him towards her. She smiled sweetly, and whispered, "Thank you. I didn't want to lose you either."

Feeling a sudden excitement and nervousness, he managed to say, "You mean..." he couldn't find the right words so he went with what came to him, "you love me, too?"

Stella giggled, still grinning. "Yes, I suppose I do."

Jack paused, staring into her eyes, trying to find a response. "I am so incredibly glad," he finally said. He laughed, and said, "I knew you couldn't resist me....." grinning from ear to ear. Stella laughed and grinned. Stella's smile was broken by a yawn.

"Ah, I better be going on to sleep now I suppose," Stella said, crawling off towards her mattress.

"Me, too." Jack said, also getting up to go to bed. The mattresses on the floor lay so that the two faced each other. Stella reached her hand out to Jack's. They held hands, smiling at each other.

Jack sighed and whispered, "You are so beautiful."

Stella was at a loss of words. Such an extreme happiness had overcome her. "You are so," she couldn't figure it out. "So...amazing." She smiled, although the words didn't do him justice whatsoever, it was as close as she could get.


	5. Of Rum and Cannonfire

I love my reviewers. :)

Lonaargh--Glad ya like it. Here's Chapter 5! (And your grammar was fine...I would have never known you weren't a native English-speaker.) Thanks for reviewing!

* * *

From that day on, life was beautiful. Difficult at times, but it never ceased to emanate the absolute beauty of love. They spent months at sea, only stopping when it was absolutely necessary. It wasn't as much the "pirate life", as they spent most of their time at sea lounged on the decks with half-empty bottles of rum as opposed to commandeering anything, but it was a beautiful sea life nonetheless. And it was this life that became their ultimate downfall.

It was October. The night winds were gusty and chilling, even in the warm Caribbean waters. Jack, seated on the deck, leaning against the mast, ran his fingers over the rim of the empty bottle next to him. Stella, a few feet away, lay sprawled against the rail of the ship. (It was a boat, really. "Ship" was merely a term of endearment.) Stella, the more detail-oriented of the two, looked to the sky and turned to Jack with a jerk. "Are we on course? Because..."

"And what course would that be?" Jack asked.

"The course to..."

Jack cut her off, with an intoxicated, incomprehensible mumble. "We have no course....My only course is by the guidance of the stars in your eyes, by the daylight that lingers in your arms..." Jack mumbled and attempted to come to her side, but failed, sliding down about halfway through his journey.

"And I seem guided by the fact that you have had entirely too much rum tonight!" Stella joked. "Come now--"

Jack cut her off again. "Really, why do we really _need_ a course to follow? When there's so much ocean unseen, why take the path taken before?"

Stella paused, actually considering that there might be something to his ramblings. "You're quite right. But what if we didn't know where we were, and had run out of food?" She was almost amused that she was debating him in this state.

"Aye, I don't know. I suppose we'd have to pack a lot of rum!" Jack rolled over on his back to view the sky. After a moment of silence, he rolled back on his side towards Stella. "I much prefer the view over here," he said, smiling. He looked at her intently until his eyes felt so heavy he could look no longer. His face molded to the rocking wooden deck, and he fell asleep.

The next morning, Stella awoke abruptly to cannon fire. She quickly pulled her back from the mast to see what was going on. On the way up, her foot caught on Jack's heavy arm and she turned back. She bent down and gently shook him, attempting to awake him as nicely as possible. He did not like being awoken, and she knew this. "Jack, Jack, please wake up, there's something going on, come on." This failed to wake him, so she tried a bit louder. "Jack, JACK. WAKE UP." Still nothing. "JACK. SOMEONE STOLE THE RUM!"

"WHAT THE BLOODY 'ELL!" Jack's arms flung to the air as he jumped up.

"Jack, the rum's fine. But I heard cannon fire. Close cannon fire, too." Stella said sternly.

"Oh, that's good. I mean, it's not good, we need to check it out sufficiently so we can go back to sleep."

Jack and Stella carefully looked out over the rail, and were able to make out a rather large ship coming their way. Jack went to one of the benches on the deck below, opened it up, and pulled out a very rusted telescope. He brought it up quickly, then looked out towards the oncoming ship. "Bloody 'ell. Iago," he murmured nervously.

"Iago?" questioned Stella, "The same Iago that threw me out of a boat?"

"It was a ship. The very same ship that's coming very rapidly towards us, so if you would please start adjusting the sails to allow us to get away?" Jack commanded quietly.

"Get away?" Stella repeated, rather surprised. "As in not fighting them?"

"Stel, when you're on a small boat with two people who have nothing to fight with but rum bottles, an unloaded pistol and a rusty sword, it is not the opportune time to exact your revenge on a crew of fifty men, savvy?" Jack commented with his usual quick sarcasm.

Stella reluctantly went for the sails, but she knew that at the pace the ship was moving at, there would be no escape.


	6. Of Hopelessnessand More Rum

This chapter is short, so I am posting it with Chapter 5. I'm sure no one has any objection to that. If they do...welll get over it. (By the way, I have new piratey merchandise!!! I love my Jack shirt...)

* * *

The frantic couple spent the next two hours furiously adjusting sails, throwing what few objects that were aboard over the railing, and at one point, attempting to row the small boat to safety. Iago's ship was gaining on them fast, and they were getting very tense.

"By nightfall we'll have no chance," Jack murmured distractedly turning his attention from the coming ship to the afternoon sun.

"Don't say that," Stella cried, barely able to contain herself. If Jack gave up, there really was no chance. "There has to be a way out."

"Really? Well it looks as if there isn't." Jack yelled, obviously very irritated.

"Perhaps we're not looking hard enough!" Stella snapped back.

"Well by all means, do look harder!" Jack shouted, hurling the telescope at her. She caught it in front of her face, and walked to the opposite rail. She held the telescope to her eye, dusting flakes of rust from her palms. "Well, Jack, since you are so observant, I'm sure you knew that there was LAND over there!" she said, pointing to a strip of grey land that seemed fairly close by.

"Well, no, but what good would that do us? Then we'd just be stopping to confront them." Jack responded.

Stella could not believe the situation. For the first time in her life, effort was futile, and she was hopeless. Her eyes began to well up with tears of the frustration of the past few hours.

Jack was overwhelmed with a feeling of hopelessness and failure. He lifted the brim of his hat just enough to see Stella's solemn face, glistening with tears. He knew it hadn't been a mistake to save her, no mistake to buy the boat and make her '"co-captain". He almost managed a smile, remembering the silly "officiating ceremony" he put her through when they bought the boat in Port Royal.

"Now, the code states very clearly, that a co-captain must fulfill her duties completely, one of these said duties being to wake the captain every morning without the use of violence, no matter how difficult it may be. The only force acceptable would be that of kisses," he had added, looking up from the blank page that served as the "code". "Now for the ceremony. Do you, Stella, promise to fulfill these duties to the best of your ability and without fail?" Stella, laughing, had nodded. "Now balance this rusted sword on your head for fifteen seconds." Stella couldn't stop laughing enough to make the sword balance. "Good enough," Jack announced to the invisible crowd. "I believe you will be a quite sufficient co-captain."

Jack came back into reality. The sun was almost beyond the horizon, and Stella sat despondently huddled by the rail. With great effort, he lifted himself from the floor, and crawled to her side.

Stella's face stung in the chilling wind, and she could see her heavy breath float briefly in front of her. She stared off at nothing in particular in the distance, as she felt Jack's arm on her shoulder.

"Care for some rum, love?" Jack murmured thoughtfully. "Let's go downstairs where the wind isn't so cold."

Stella looked at him, and thought perhaps a bit of rum wouldn't hurt anything. With Jack's arm guiding her, she got up, and taking one last look out at the setting sun and the ship approaching, she turned and climbed downstairs.


	7. Are you afraid?

Yes, this chapter is very short. I have come to a bit of writer's indecision (not writer's _block_, mind you.) I have an ending written, and it would be very easy to work towards it, but I am afraid that my ending would not be well-recieved. I didn't put angst as a category, and I don't want anyone following the story to be disappointed or anything. (As if a fanfic would be that important to any of you, but anyway..) If any of you have any opinion on this, PLEASE in the name of all that is good, please review and state said opinion. I need HELP. :)

* * *

In the dark lower room of the boat, Jack and Stella sat quietly at the small wooden table. A dim candle sat on the center of the table, adjacent to a glass bottle, almost full of rum, that seemed to glow in the light.

"Are you afraid?" Stella asked Jack. He was quiet, and hadn't touched the rum, two things very against the grain of his character. Jack looked up at her, rather suddenly, as if stunned into revelation.

"It's not the pirates' way to be scared, love." he said, trying unsuccessfully to force a smile.

"Yes, but are _you_ afraid?" Stella asked again.

Jack fidgeted a bit, and ran his shaky fingers through his hair. "I am...very afraid. Afraid for me. Afraid for you. Afraid that nothing we've done will amount to anything, afraid that this will be it. There will never be a real life for us.," he stammered, gaining strength with each word. "Are you afraid?"

Stella took a deep breath and looked to the ceiling. "Of course I am," she sighed, looking back at Jack. "I mean, we are just stuck here waiting in hopelessness. There's nothing to do but be afraid."

Jack nodded, and leaned back in his chair. At that moment, a large blast came at the ship's side. Stella and Jack jumped out of their chairs, fleeing the large fiery hole in the side of the ship that was cracking wider and filling the lower compartment with water. They ran up the steps, that seemed to sink beneath their footfalls. They reached the deck, and through the gathering smoke they could still see Iago's ship beside them, and they felt the water creeping onto their feet. Another blast was heard, and it appeared to be coming right at them.

"Jump!" Jack yelled, grabbing her hand. They both went hurdling into the water. They rose from beneath the waves, knocking split wood and other debris away from them, and trying to see where to go for safety. The grey line of land that they had seen earlier was now rather close, and Stella could see the trees lining the shore.

"Should we swim there?" Stella yelled, trying to be heard over the continuing blasts.

"We'd only be confronting them! We'd be sitting ducks!" Jack shouted in return.

"Well what do you suggest we do?" Stella yelled back.

Jack paused, and unable to suggest any better plan, nodded reluctantly and began to move with Stella towards the shore.


End file.
